Speak
by Gotham's Siren
Summary: Erik is a senior in high school, as is Christine. Erik has a horrible past and Christine is an orphan. What happens when they meet?
1. Prologue

_**Yes I am going to update "His Twins" soon. I have half of the chapter written but I have no idea what to do for the last half…I need a beta desperately! **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Phantom of the Opera….even Santa wouldn't give it to me….**_

_**Prologue**_

He could smell the other man on him. The smell of cheap liquor and cigarettes made him want to vomit. The way his clothes clung to his thin frame, wet with sweat made his stomach turn. This was always the way he felt after a fight with his foster father.

He lay down on the small twin bed, trembling as tears gathered in his eyes. He would not let the tears fall though, because sometimes the man came back. Erik refused to let his foster father see him in a moment of weakness.

He knew there would be hell to pay tomorrow, after the way he had behaved. Louis, his foster father had very specific instructions on how Erik was to behave when he was beating him. He was to take every punch or kick without making a sound and to NEVER fight back. He had learned that the first time Louis had tried to hit him; he had been twelve years old.

_The blow had sent him sprawling to the floor, the air blew out of his lungs and he gasped for breath while Louis took another swig of the beer he had been holding._

"_Look at 'cha. Ya' pathetic piece a shit. You ain't gonna do that again huh? You gonna think twice 'fore you spill paint in the garage." Erik could only whimper and nod, Louis needed more convincing. He raised his leg and brought it down onto Erik's stomach, knocking the wind out of the small boy again._

"_Answer me when I talk to you!" Erik whimpered again but managed a small,_

"_Y-yes sir." Louis smiled, showing crooked, yellow teeth. _

"_Good, now go clean it all up." He took another swig of beer, wiping it away with the back of his hand when it began to trail down his skin and then turned to face Erik again. "You're lucky boy, with a past like yours who would ever want you? You're lucky to have me." And he left. _

Erik was nearly eighteen now and a senior in high school. He had only two friends, Nadir and Meg. Both had seen his face and had not cared that it was deformed; they were the only people Erik had ever met that hadn't cared. His face kept him away from the rest of the human race, it made him a monster.

The right half of Erik's face had been burned when he was a child. Uneven and slightly red skin covered that half of his face. He had no eyebrow over his right eye. His face had been burnt the worst, the rest of his body though still burned, was minor and did not cause him much trouble, as long as no one saw it.

Erik could hold back the tears no longer, sobs wracked his thin frame and he clutched at his pillow. He was tired of living this way, abused and beaten. He wanted to tell someone, anyone. He knew that Nadir and Meg had seen the bruises and he knew that they guessed where they had come from but he had never told them. He hadn't told anyone and it was killing him.

_Everyone needs someone to talk to._

_**A/U:**_

_**Well I hope ya liked it! Review please! Even if it is to tell me it sucks!!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

He swung the backpack over his shoulders, trying to get used to the heavy sack that would rest on his shoulders for the next nine months. He sighed as he saw the bus pull up, _time to go, _it seemed to say, _have fun getting beat up again, _was a much more suiting greeting in his opinion.

He climbed onto the bus, ducking down to avoid hitting his head on the low ceiling. He spotted his friend Nadir Khan waving to him in the back and made his way over to him, watching the aisles to make sure no one tried to trip him. He could feel all their eyes on him, some wondering who the freak in the mask was, others remembering him from last year and happy that their punching bag was back for the rest of the year.

Nadir smiled, his brown eyes shimmering with happiness as Erik sat down next to him. Nadir was a large young man, nearing 6'1 and broad shouldered. He was from the Middle East and had, what many women called, beautiful coffee colored skin and dark, curly hair that always seemed to be in his eyes. He was the exact opposite of Erik.

Nearly every girl at the school fawned over him and every guy at the school couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't on the football team. He was an honors student and always aced his classes. People couldn't help but stare in bewilderment as he strolled down the hallway, Erik walking beside him and Meg prancing about on his other side.

Erik gave his friend a small smile and sat down next to him, thankful that Nadir rode the bus with him to school. If he didn't he probably wouldn't have ever made it to school, at least not alive.

"Hello Nadir, did you have a pleasant summer?" Nadir grinned and whispered.

"Meg and I spent a week in New York together. She told her parents that she was visiting a girlfriend of hers and I told my parents I was looking at potential colleges. I can't believe we fooled them!" He snickered quietly for a few moments before turning to face Erik, his face now serious.

"How was your summer Erik?" Erik shrugged and looked away for a few moments, unable to show Nadir the pain in his eyes or the grimace that flashed across his face. He turned back and gave him a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Same as usual. How's Meg?"

Meg and Nadir had been dating since sophomore year and although Erik was jealous he couldn't help but feel happy for his two friends. They both meant the world to him and he was glad that they had found happiness and romance with each other. Things he was sure he would never get the chance to experience.

Nadir chuckled, "Same as always. Blonde, blue-eyed, and beautiful. Speaking of Meg, here she comes now." Nadir pointed at the front of the bus and Erik looked up just in time to see Meg clamber onto the bus, nearly tripping in the process. She smiled at them and waved before rushing over and taking the seat in front of them. She gave Nadir a quick kiss and gave Erik a small hug, which he did not return and settled into her seat before turning around and giving them a large smile.

"Hey boys! How was your summer?" Nadir grinned at her cheekily and laughed

"My summer was amazing, thanks to you." She grinned and pretended to blow him a kiss before turning to Erik and giving him a concerned look.

"What about you Erik?" He frowned, suddenly realizing that they both could see the bruises that had appeared on his arms and neck. He looked away quickly, suddenly afraid of their scrutinizing gaze.

"F-fine. Same a-as always really." She nodded slowly, clearly not pleased with his answer but knowing he would tell her nothing else. He absent-mindedly traced a bruise on his upper arm, not seeing his two friends exchange concerned glances as he looked out of the small bus window that was caked with dirt and covered with a layer of dust.

Meg reached out, her fingers grazing his shoulder and he jerked away from her before turning to face her again his eyes wide and somewhat panicked. He shook his head and attempted a smile, failing horribly and he sighed before burying his face in his hands, unable to look her in the eyes again. She often did that, and although she did not mean to frighten him, he always flinched or jerked away from her. He knew that each time he did that he only helped confirm her suspicions but he couldn't help it. He hadn't been touched out of kindness since his he was five.

He raked a hand through his short raven hair and sighed before glancing at Meg. She looked concerned and she apologized with her eyes, as she always did. He gave her a small smile and mumbling.

"So how's your mom? Her dance studio doing okay?" Meg nodded and smiled cheerfully and answered,

"She's great! We have fifty-two kids enrolled now so we're kept busy all the time. Most of them our pre-teens so that makes it a little easier but we have six five year-olds! They are such a big chore!" She paused for a moment before continuing. "My mom misses you, you know she considers you her son and she wanted to invite you to dinner tonight…if your foster parents don't mind of course." He snorted and raised an eyebrow at her

"You know they don't care. Of course I'll come over for dinner." He hadn't eaten in two days and his stomach growled loudly. He glanced at Meg and Nadir and a blush began to creep up his cheeks as they both began to chuckle. Meg reached into her backpack, pulling out a granola bar and shoving it into his hand.

"Here you need it more than I do." He smiled and mumbled quick thanks before devouring the small, chocolate flavored granola bar.

His stomach dropped and bile rose in his throat as he felt the bus stop. The bus doors opened and he began creeping toward his own personal hell.

A:U///

Hope you liked it I'm pretty much winging it….plz R&R!!


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 2**_

As soon as he entered the double doors he could feel their eyes on him, cold and calculating. It was as if they were debating with themselves on whether he would pose a threat to their lives. He could hear the whispers, about the freak in the mask, the deformed monster, and although he had heard things like this nearly every day of his short life on earth, it never got any easier.

Nadir placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and began to nudge him gently away from the crowd and into the small guidance office.

The air was warm and Erik grimaced as the smell of old papers and equally ancient people filled his nostrils. Why did old people always smell so good, or so bad?

He sighed and walked up to an older woman who was busy typing on a small computer behind the desk. She looked up at him and except for her eyes slightly widening and her mouth opening she showed no signs of seeing the mask.

"Name please?" her voice was beautiful but cracked with her old age.

"Erik Bonnet." The older woman smiled and under her breath whispered

"Your last name suits you." _(It means, "Wearer of unusual headgear" it's a French surname and I thought it suited Erik.__)_ Erik's brow furrowed but he did not question her. He gave her a small smile when she handed him his schedule and her light brown eyes suddenly filled with tears. When he began to walk away she called out to him,

"Erik! Wait!" he turned giving her a puzzled look and her old, wrinkled cheeks suddenly turned pink with embarrassment.

"Don't let them tell you who you are. You tell them what you have been, are, and will be." He gave her a small smile and mumbled a quick thanks before heading out the door. Many people had told him that, but he had never believed anyone before. Nadir raised an eyebrow but didn't ask about what the old woman had said.

They continued walking down the hall, stopping only to get Meg and Nadir's schedule. They had three of their five classes together, and the other two Erik and Nadir had together. The office did this for him; they had asked him sometime in the summer what they could do to make his year easier for him. Most of the people working in the office knew about the name calling, the beatings, and the fights that started because of the mask. They also knew about his past, his abusive father and the fire. The foster homes he had been put into and the home he was in now. They hadn't told anyone and for that he was grateful, he didn't want to get moved into a new home, he was always afraid that he would get put into one that was even worse.

He sighed and kept his head down, trying to avoid meeting the eyes of other people in the hall. He sighed again and gasped as he felt someone run into him. He was nearly knocked off his feet but Nadir caught his arm to keep him from falling. Unlike the other person.

Erik looked down to see a young girl sprawled upon the floor. She was giggling and jumped back up onto her feet.

"Sorry! I'm new to this school and I was trying to read my map and walk at the same time. Guess it didn't work huh?" She grinned and held out her hand. "I'm Christine Daae."

Erik was speechless. Why would someone this beautiful want to talk to a monstrous creature like him? Surely she was a goddess or some sort of angel, she was just so beautiful. Dark brown curls framed a beautiful heart-shaped face with bright green eyes and long, beautiful lashes. She was absolutely stunning.

Nadir gave Meg a knowing smile and gently nudged Erik's arm. This seemed to snap Erik out of his revere and he began to stutter.

"Uhh…n-no problem. Nice to meet you, I-I'm Erik. Erik Bonnet." These are my friends Nadir Khan and Megan Giry." She smiled at Megan and Nadir and extended her hand towards them as well.

"Oh! I've heard about you! You're the new girl from California! I-I'm sorry to hear about your parents." The girl's face fell and she whispered,

"Thank you, but I would rather not talk about it." Meg laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and Nadir and Erik began whispering amongst themselves as the girls began to talk.

"Have you heard of her?" Erik asked. Nadir shook his head no.

"No, well…yah once. Meg got a text that a new girl was coming to school. An orphan girl. I have no idea what happened to her parents though." Erik's hear constricted with pity for this girl who, was so young and yet had already lost both of her parents; the people in life that were always supposed to be there for you. He understood the pain in her green eyes; he had lost his mother and father at a very young age as well, although the way he had lost his parents was certainly different than how she had.

Meg came bouncing back to her boys, skipping merrily with Christine in tow. She announced, "Christine is going to be hanging around us today. You guys don't mind do you?" Nadir and Erik shook their heads no.

Nadir and Meg went ahead to their class, leaving Erik and Christine alone. Christine looked over at Erik hesitantly.

"C-Can I uh..Can I see your schedule?" Erik nodded and stammered,

"O-oh! Uh, yah sure." He handed her the small; slip of white paper, taking time to admire her beauty when she looked down to compare their schedules. She truly was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and it frightened him how he couldn't get her out of his head. He shook his head, as if trying to expel the thought from his mind and looked back at Christine who looked back up at him and smiled.

"We have all of our classes together except Biology. You're taking Forensics?" Erik nodded.

"Yah. I want to be a detective when I get out of college. Either that, or I want to go to Julliard." Her face seemed to light up.

"Really? I'm going to Julliard! What instruments do you play?" He shrugged.

"Anything that's put into my hands really, but I'm quite good at violin, cello, and piano. What instruments do you play?"

"Those are all very beautiful instruments. I play flute, saxophone, violin, and guitar." He grinned.

"I've always wanted to learn to play the guitar but I've never been quite able to get the hang of it." She shrugged and gave him a gentle smile.

"I have an extra; I could teach you if you like." His eyes widened slightly and his jaw would have dropped if he had not stopped it. No one had ever offered him help with anything besides Nadir and Meg.

"U-uh yah sure. I'd love that." She frowned when the bell rang. First period was the only class they did not have together. Which meant that they would have to continue their conversation later.

"Great! Well I had better go; I don't want to be late on my first day! I'll talk to you in Calculus though okay? Bye Erik!" With that she ran off, her brown curls flying behind her.

Erik had never been this shocked in his entire life, she had talked to him. Actually talked to _him. _She hadn't cared about the mask. In fact, he hadn't even seen her glance at it.

_**How do you guys like it so far? I'm seriously just typing it up and then posting it online. I have no idea where this story is going to take me. Well please review!!! Tell me what I'm doing right, wrong, etc. Thanks! Oh yah, btw the name "Bonnet" is a French surname meaning **__**a nickname for a wearer of unusual headgear. I thought if fit Erik **___


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